The background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
Tools, including cutters, are used in various industries for various purposes (e.g., to open packaging, make repairs, fasten items together, make cuts, handle inventory, etc.). For example, many in food service and other industries use utility knives or other bladed tools to access packaged items. Regardless of how carefully people operate these tools; there remains a significant risk of injury, especially for employees who use the tools multiple times throughout their work day.
There have been a large number of injuries and expenses associated with these replaceable tool components caused by, among other things, (a) loose blades, screws or other small or sharp objects contaminating food and requiring an entire batch to be thrown out, (b) loose blades, screws or other small or sharp objects contaminating food served to a customer and potentially even causing injury to customers, (c) unauthorized use by customers who have access to tools being stored in shelves or lying around a store, and (d) user injuries that occur when grabbing and replacing the blades, screws or other sharp components.
The risk of injury may increase when tools that include multiple components are used (e.g., a cutter and a screwdriver). One reason is that sharp surfaces on one tool component often face the user or other people when the other tool component of the tool is in use. Additionally, where the sharp objects are replaceable, there is an even greater risk of the sharp objects coming loose and contaminating supplies or causing injuries.
Some have contemplated a guard or shield that covers a blade or sharp surface. For example, Votolato (U.S. Pat. No. 7,475,480) discloses a knife having a blade and blade shield. In another example, Kempker (U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2010/0263219) and Jacobs (U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2013/0298409) disclose a tool having a blade shield that overhangs over an edge of a blade to cover the blade edge. Other known efforts generally require users to manually unlock and move a guard, which increases the risk of injuries from (a) ergonomic issues and (b) tampering with, or removal of the safety features.
Although some efforts have been made in an attempt to address safety concerns, known efforts fail to provide an effective solution where multiple tool components are included in a single tool. Thus, there is still a need for improved tools and tool cartridges.
These and all other extrinsic materials discussed herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. Where a definition or use of a term in an incorporated reference is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.